Dickinson man arrested after driving truck full of weapons to D.C. to kidnap Obamas’ dog

Patient Stephen Orzechowski, 6, raises his hand as First Lady Michelle Obama reads "T'was the Night Before Christmas" to children during her visit to Children’s National Health System in Washington, December 14, 2015. On the right is the Obama's dog Bo. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)2 / 2

WASHINGTON -- A Dickinson man, who had a weapons cache in his vehicle and told U.S. Secret Service agents he was Jesus Christ, was arrested Wednesday in the nation’s capital on weapons charges after agents were alerted he was there with the intention of kidnapping the Obama family’s pet dog.

Scott Davy Stockert, 49, told Secret Service agents he drove from Dickinson to Washington alone in his Dodge Ram pickup truck. He brought with him guns, ammunition and other weapons, according to court documents.

He made a series of bizarre claims to the arresting agents, including that he was Jesus Christ -- and that it could be verified by his license -- that John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe were his parents, and that he planned to run for president. He said he was in Washington because he was going to the U.S. Capitol to advocate for $99 per month health care.

“You picked the wrong person to mess with,” Stockert told agents, according to the court documents. “I will (expletive) your world up.”

Stark County Sheriff’s Major Ray Kaylor said Stockert’s family approached their office on Wednesday morning asking for help in locating him after they’d received text messages stating he was in New York City, and that he was driving to Washington with the intention of kidnapping Bo, President Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dog.

“He said his plan was the kidnap the president’s dog, Bo. He felt the dog was being neglected,” Kaylor said, adding Stockert’s texts said nothing about harming the dog.

Kaylor said Stockert has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and that his family believes he’s not taking his medication.

Kaylor said after receiving the information, he issued a nationwide welfare check for Stockert and contacted the Secret Service with the information he had received. The Secret Service’s Minnesota Field Office then alerted Washington law enforcement agencies.

“They did a fantastic job locating him,” Kaylor said.

Stockert made his first appearance Thursday in District of Columbia Superior Court after being charged with illegally carrying a rifle or shotgun outside a home or business, an offense under district law. He was arrested by a Hampton Inn near K Street, where agents confronted him and found a 12-gauge pump shotgun and a bolt-action .22-caliber rifle in his pickup, according to court documents. Stockert was not registered to own a gun and was arrested.

More than 350 rounds of ammunition for use in either the shotgun or rifle were found in the pickup, as well as an 18-inch billy club and a machete with a 12-inch blade, according to court documents. Also discovered were a 28-inch barrel and removable stock, both typically used for a shotgun.

During a preliminary hearing Friday, a judge found probable cause to move Stockert’s case forward and ordered him to be released into a high-intensity supervision program pending a court date to be set later, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington.

The judge ordered Stockert to stay away from the White House, the U.S. Capitol building and surrounding areas while on release. He is also barred from possessing any real or imitation weapons.

A public affairs officer from the U.S. Secret Service issued a release to The Press on Friday, stating “this incident highlights the importance of our network of Field Offices throughout the United States in the performance of our Protective Intelligence mission and the coordination with our State and Local law enforcement partners.”

The statement continued: “Identifying and apprehending suspects who make threats toward our protectees, is often a coordinated effort between multiple jurisdictions in real time. The Secret Service stands ready to continue our mission for those we protect and the American people.”

Stockert, who lists a permanent address on the 200 block of Adams Avenue in Dickinson, has a history of mental health and criminal issues.

More than 13 years ago, he was arrested in Los Angeles for illegally fleeing North Dakota with his two young children from a past marriage.

In December 2009, he had an hourlong standoff with Dickinson police and allegedly pointed a loaded gun at then-Sgt. David Wilkie after reports of domestic violence. Wilkie is now a Dickinson police captain.

He pleaded not guilty to felony reckless endangerment and acted as his own attorney before eventually undergoing a mental health evaluation.

In June 2010, Stockert was found incompetent to stand trial but the Southwest District Court found him competent to enter a plea agreement, which dropped his charge to a misdemeanor and put him on supervised probation for two years. He had a one-year prison sentence suspended.

Monke came to The Dickinson Press in July 2006 as the newspaper's sports editor and was hired as its managing editor in March 2013. During his tenure at The Press, Monke has won multiple awards for sports reporting, feature reporting, column writing, page design and photography. He was a key part of The Press winning the North Dakota Newspaper Association's General Excellence and Sweepstakes awards in 2009 and 2012, and oversaw The Press' Sweepstakes and General Excellence wins in 2014, as well as its national first-place honors for Community Leadership in the Inland Daily Press Association and contributed to the first-place Inland award for Investigative Reporting. As the newspaper's editor, he writes an occasional Sunday column, is a member of The Press' Editorial Board, contributes feature stories and breaking news, designs pages, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the newsroom and editorial staff. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports and action movies, exercises whenever his schedule allows, and spends every minute he can with his wife and son.